A Minute In Time
by Catcat88
Summary: Once again the world is falling apart. The Sanzo party is traveling, this time all the way across the ocean, to stop the resection of Gyumaoh. When another person is added to the group of four, their travels become more difficult.
1. Into the West, Again

_Wind streaked down from the night sky, each time a gust passed the branches form a nearby tree made a soft thud against my window. Seconds ticked by as I waited for 9:30 to arrive. Master Sonzo had called for his apprentice and exactly 9:30. That was quite usual for his apprentice, but I had never been told to come at a specific time. He had only ever told me to come at my leisure. Since leisure is all that I had had I would show in the first few minutes. Tonight was different…_

* * *

I pondered on. There was no logical reason for me to be called to Master Sanzo at a specific time, and such a ridiculous one at that. My gaze slid to the window. Just beyond the glass, three tall men and one short one wearing hooded cloaks stepped through the gate to our temple. Wind streaked by pulling at the long dark cloth that the men were using for a cover against the chilling wind. The branches continued their endless assault on my window. My mind began to drift. The clock began to pass second slower and slower. Each tick of the second hand rang through my head and echoed with loud banging. I let my mind drift further away and tuned out the banging. I began to rehearse the new sword movements Master Sanzo had taught me earlier this morning.

Placing my feet where I should for each counter attack I began to practice alone in my room. I had only candle left to light the small cramped room. Soon I began to exaggerate the movements; ending is some sort of strange fight dance. The small, lumpy bed that lay to the back of the room became the prime enemy. After that, the lamp joined into the fray. Just after the lamp came the desk, the window, and the drapes. Later certain stains on the rug turned into flowing rivers of lava. To say the least, I was bored stiff. My imagination runs off with me when I have nothing better to do then sit play around.

Suddenly, the banging stopped. There was a moment where I didn't notice that anything had changed. Once I did I turned and pointed my sword toward the offending clock. My great old clock was finally out of battery. Drat, and he had been working for so long too. Now paying more close attention I realized that it was 9:25. Well I sure hope Master Sanzo doesn't mind me a little early, considering the circumstances.

As I walked to my master's room I paid little heed to anything in my surroundings. My demon blood allowed my eyes to see clearly in the dark. Each time something got in my way I would just avoid it. By now I was so used to avoiding things in cluttered hallways that I walked on subconsciously. The hallway was unlit, and the moon was bright. The wind had died down so I had no problems waking though the open breezeway. Down the stairs and to the second hall to the left lay my masters room. I had mapped out the whole sanctuary out and memorized every turn from my room to my masters. Two right turns and then a left.

Voices drifted down the hallway from my master's room. The door was shut and the blinds were closed. Perhaps he had a meeting with some other masters tonight. That could be why he didn't want to see me any sooner than 9:30, assuming that is when the meeting ended. Suddenly I heard a shout that sounded a lot like my master's battle cry he used in or training sessions, and a tick of a clock. No, not a clock tick; it sounded just like the banging I had heard before in my head as my infernal clock teased me. What was going on? Could it be a…gunshot!

My feet froze and I tensed the mussels in my body, ready for swift movement. I gazed around, paying more attention to what was near me. My mind roared into overdrive, going through each step Master Sanzo had taught me to check if I were being ambushed. I was just realizing that the lumps on the floor weren't piles of clothes or crates of random stuff, or even overflowing garbage pails, like what usually crowded the hall ways. Instead, they were unmoving bodies! Cautiously, I stepped out of my shoes and snuck down the hall to my master's door. Step by step, inch by inch, I crept along. On my way I began to assess the body's left by the intruders.

All of them had either been shot, or were beaten to death. I also realized that the certain scorch marks on the walls and ceiling could only be left by a powerful magic casting demon. Attackers such as these were rare. The combination of a gun man, a magician, and two staff fighters were uncommon, and usually ineffective. There was only one group of people that I could think of that would have such a combo…no…they couldn't be here.

Finally I reached the door. My hand slowly twisted the brass knob. Anticipation and fear caused my body to shake. Now was not the time to break down, whoever was behind the door had probably been slain by my master. Still, there was a small chance that he could be the one who was defeated. After all, they had managed to takedown every other person in the hall. If they had killed all of those demons then what chance would my master or I stand against them? I was already assuming the worst. This situation couldn't be that bad.

There was a small click as the door separated itself from the door frame. Someone inside said "What was that?" As soon as I heard them speak I realized that my position had been given away. I launched myself into the room as fast as any demon could go. Just inside the room my head connected with the butt of a staff and I was knocked flat. My body hit the floor almost as fast as I had entered the room.

"Goku, you know it's not polite to hit a girl."

The sheer force of the blow had rattled my brain and caused my eyes to cross. It took me a moment to realize what was just said. But that voice…that name…no.

"Common Hakki, she surprised me. What would you have done is you were here."

I missed the rest of the conversation because after a great effort I finally uncrossed my eyes. Sure enough, the Sanzo Party was standing above me. These four men were responsible for the deaths of thousands of demons just like me and those outside. According to legand, it takes only five minutes for just one of them to take out fifty demons. All on his own too, without help from the others. They also are renowned for killing three gods of high power and a few weaker gods.

The first member of the party was Genjyo Sanzo. He was a tall, blonde, violet eyed priest, and fought with a small hand gun. The second member was Son Goku. He was just a child born from the center of the earth, short with wild brown hair, golden eyes, and fought with a staff. The third was Sho Gojyo. He was a half demon half human. By character trait they have crimson hair, crimson eyes, and he happens to fight with a staff also. The last was Cho Hakki. He was a full on demon who had become that way by bathing in the blood of a thousand demons, had brown hair, green eyes, and used magic.

My brain was screaming at my body to do something, but my body must have cut itself off from my head because there was no response from any part. I glanced around and saw my masters limp body lying on the floor. If they had killed him in a matter of minutes, no seconds, then there really was no hope for me. The legs that barred my way to him parted and I crawled as fast as I could to reach him. I cradled his head in my hands. Time slowed down as it does in crises like this one. A solitary tear rolled down my check and fell on his face. When it landed his lips parted, the tear must have alerted him to my presence. His life force was draining away, he could not hold on much longer. Yet, if I were human I may have not heard what he said to me then.

"Akimoto, is that you?"

"Yes master, it's me."

"(cough, cough) Please listen."

"Master, I'm listening."

"Good (cough, cough) take the scripture, take it."

"Master—"

"No just listen. Take the scripture and protect it. You (cough) you (cough)"

"Master. Master! What am I! Speak to me. Master Sanzo!"

And with one final breath Mater Sanzo lived no longer. My shouting had abruptly ended the conversation around me. Tears fell faster now that he was no longer alive. I cried like I had only done once before. I lifted my clouded eyes to see if I was really the center of attention or if something else had disturbed my captors. The blond one was staring straight at me. His violet eyes bored into me. Something behind those eyes caught my attention. Was it remorse, or regret, or something deeper.

A sharp pain on my forehead caused my hand to automatically rise to my face. From experience, and sorties that the younger apprentices spread around, I knew that if a Sanzo priest died before choosing his heir the chakra would appear on his youngest apprentice's brow. I observed my reflection in a broken mirror behind the blond persist. My long brown hair flowed around my face, and my usual darker complexion had become white and droopy. There, where my bangs had parted slightly I saw the small red chakra burning its way onto my face. But to have me chosen was, well, not proper. For one thing, I was female. There had never been a female Sanzo before. Also, I was too old. The time to choose an heir is when the child has not yet reached manhood.

Still Sanzo stared at me. A rumor that a friend of a friend of a friend's grandpa had said was that each of the four in the Sanzo party had a deep past that wasn't mentioned, ever not even to each otehr. I'm not sure how reliable grandpa was, but I was ready to believe that if they had a deep past, Sanzo's involved his master before him. Seconds ticked by in silence. Sanzo and I continued our stare down. After what seemed like half of forever, the child spoke.

"Sanzo, are you alright."

Sanzo didn't speak, neither did the other two. Two, three, four, five; I was counting seconds again. I do that when I'm nervous.

"So, you're his apprentice?"

The staring contest was over, now it was time to exchange harsh words.

"Yes."

My voice cracked. Seven, eight nine…

"And now the official heir to the Raysend Scripture."

"Yes."

"Sanzo." It was the tall one with brown hair that spoke, was it Hakki?

I saw my chance. The scripture was hanging loose out of the speakers pocket. Again I launched myself from my position. I reached, and the scripture was in my hand. Diving and rolling I pushed against the door when I reached it. I didn't expect the door to be locked and there to be no key in the lock. My sweaty fingers gripped the scripture in my hand tighter. The first time a sanzo really becomes a true "sanzo priest" is in his first battle to protect the scripture. So the legends said, and so it was. In a sudden rush, my mind cleared and I had a good idea what to do. I pretended to break down at that instant, which wasn't hard since my face was already tear stained. The first person to lay his hand on my shoulder regretted it instantly. I spun quickly and tossed one end of the scripture at the small group. Not one of them reacted quickly enough to stop getting tangled in the web of paper that swirled around them. They wrestled with the scripture for a few minutes. I stared and watched, crying again, this time for having lost my master so much sooner than what should have happened. Master Sanzo should be here now, seeing all this.

"Alright, what do you want, demon."

Gojyo, the one with crimson hair, challenged me. I brought myself back to the present. I was confused by what he asked me.

"What do I want?"

"That's what I said isn't it. Now tell me, what do you want!"

"Nothing."

"Do you mean to tell us that this trick was all for nothing?" Hakki said.

"Trick!" Anger boiled under my skin. "You think that getting my friends and master killed was all a trap to thwart the notorious Sanzo Party from their journey west! If I had had my choice you all would have passed strait through and never have caused any of this."

The four looked rather ashamed of themselves. Especially Sanzo, he seemed to be tortured by something. I had to sit down again, even though I hadn't realized that I was standing. The four talked amongst themselves and seemed to come to some sort of agreement about something.

"We have a proposition for you." Hakki started

"You want me to come with you."

"Well, umm."

"Hold it, where did this come from, is she coming with us!"

Gojyo really seemed fired up about this. Was I that unappealing?

"You can't have some random demon wondering around with a scripture; isn't that right."

"She's right you know."

Hakki was directing his attention to Sanzo. Apparently he was the leader of the group, or something along those lines.

"I see no problem in letting her come along."

"I don't have a problem either, it's not like I have anywhere else to go."

"You've got to be joking me."

We talked for a few minutes more, they proved to me that they were safe and wouldn't hurt me once I let them go. They held true to their word and let me join them. Still I can't say why I joined them. Maybe since they were what was left in my options list I felt I had no choice. Turned out that was the biggest mistake of my life, but the only mistake that has kept me alive this long.


	2. Stories

Three weeks past. During the first two weeks I felt like a prisoner, just a nuisance that the four of them had to look after. I wonder if they thought that I might cause some kind of problem if I were left alone. Nothing I said or did seemed to be right or helped at all. On Wednesday of the third week if finally felt a little more of a part of the group. That was the day that we encountered our first battle. A pack of demons ran toward us, all ready for battle, screaming insults and such. I was hanging back feeling a little awkward and out of place. Would it be alright if I helped them, or was a being hypocritical fighting my own kind?

Then Gojyo spoke to me:

"Are you goanna stand there all day? Help us out why don't you?"

I was least expecting Gojyo to ask me for help. He was, after all, the one who didn't seem to want help from the "new girl." I cleared the unhelpful thoughts out of my head and assessed the situation. If I hadn't been paying attention I wouldn't have noticed that the battle was slowly being tipped in favor of the attackers. I fought all out, helping where I could and after only a few minutes, we won the fight. The others were impressed with my abilities and I felt a little less awkward when we were in conversation.

Currently we are on the fourth week of our journey. Ominous dark clouds are rolling overhead. We aren't anywhere near the next town so we have to hurry before it rains. All five of us have horses. They had some other transportation method before but he diapered. I believe he was a green jeep that turned into a dragon. Someone had stolen him a day before the Sanzo party had stormed my temple. I suggested we use some of the horses that the temple had in the stables. We had used them for gaming but now that there was no one left we might as well use them. They are bigger riders and I'm the only one that can ride faster than a trot, so progress is slow. At about mid day is when we heard our first roll of thunder and felt the first few drops or rain.

"Great, rain, just what we need." Gojyo said.

"Look, there's a farm just up ahead. Maybe the farmer will let us stay in his hay shed until the rain lets up." Hakki wondered out loud.

"Whatever we do we better hurry. I'm in no mood to be walking through the rain." Sanzo said darkly.

What was wrong with him? A little rain won't hurt anyone, it's only water.

When we reached the farm the farmer did let us stay in his hay shed. He also told us that if we wanted to go very far we would have to bite the bullet and just walk in the rain. Sometimes it can rain for days without letting up around here. The farmer showed us to his barn and let us settle in. The shed had a high slanting roof and a hay loft. Rows of stalls crowed with pigs, sheep, horses and cows lined the isle way. Large red doors at either end of the barn were shut tight to prevent the rain from getting in. The farmer browed two of the farmer's larges stalls to put our horses in. We couldn't just let them wander.

Finally we all thudded down onto the hay up in the loft and just talked. Seems we do a lot of that, Gojyo and Sanzo also seem to smoke a lot. Their smoking bugs Hakki but he doesn't mention it. After a few minutes I confiscated the lighters, their smoking was bothering me too. My argument was that if a cinder dropped the whole barn would burn down in an instant and then we would be stuck in the rain with an angry farmer. Gojyo chased me around the loft commanding me to give him his lighter back. When we both got too tired to continue we flopped down next to Goku and Hakki again. Everyone seemed at peace, except Sanzo. He was staring out at the rain leaning against the wall and looking out at the rain thought a window across the barn from the loft, brooding. Sanzo broods a lot, but not this way.

"What's wrong with Sanzo?" I asked keeping a low tone.

Hakki replied after a long pause, "He prefers not to discuss it."

"He gets this way every time it rains. But he always comes out fine." Gojyo added

Goku looked worried though, watching Sanzo closely for him to move. When he finally shifted his weight, Goku jumped about a foot. Then we all sat in silence, listening to the rain as drops continued to pound on the steel roof. I was getting board, and there was nothing to distract me from my own hard feelings toward the rain. Seconds ticked by, and I began to count again. Three, four, five…

"Should we head out?"

Everyone looked at me startled. They were thinking I was crazed.

"But, the rain?" Gojyo was astounded.

"A little water won't hurt anyone."

"But—"

"Common, let's go before the rain gets too hard you sissies."

"I suppose we could. Sanzo what do you think." Hakki intercepted Gojyo's retort before we cause too much more of a problem.

"I'm in no mood to travel." is all Sanzo said.

Anger boiled up and over, as it does when it rain.

"So we're just going to weight here for days on end and not make any progress. You heard what the farmer said; we could be stuck here for a long time."

"So."

"So! Listen up blondy, time is not what we have. Too save your precious little world we need to stop them from bringing back Gyumaoh."

"So long as it rains, we stay put."

I walked up to him, looked him straight in the eye and slapped his pretty face. Climbing down the latter I said:

"I'm leaving, if anyone wants to catch up with me I'll be in the next town."

As I walked down the aisle way I felt four pairs of eyes watching me leave. I grabbed my horse on the way out. Faster transportation would be required to reach the next city by nightfall. Just out of sight of the shed I mounted up and started on my way at a fast trot. Gradually I let him slip into a canter. Both he and I needed a fast run, he was lacking energy and I needed to clear my head or think about something else. I would be too busy trying to stay on rather than concerning myself with my worries. Rain slashed at my face and left small scratches on my cheeks. A solitary tear slid down from my eye. Distracting myself wasn't going to work and I was going to cry, again.

After running for a long time my horse decided to slow down; then he stopped. After standing for a couple minutes, he began to eat grass on the side of the road. I'm not sure how long I just sat there, could very well have been hours. I kept replaying the scene in my life that had caused me to hate the rain so much. Over and over again I watched, helpless to my own memories.

A few years back, I met a man. He was kind, gentle, loving, and all together nice. We spent many happy months in the temple together, sharing each other's presence. I met him around the same time my master became terminally ill. None of the healers in the temple could diagnose the problem, or even begin to come up with antidote. He helped me through that rough spot better than I could have gotten on by myself. Just days after my master recovered, he went out for a day. When he returned, he invited me to a candle lit dinner at his place. I had willingly obliged. Ten minutes into the meal he began some speech about how little time we really had on this earth and how a happy couple like ourselves should spend forever together. Then, he began to choke on something. He convulsed, and stopped breathing, all while I stood there, unable to move. Once he died his body turned to ash, and only one thing was left behind.

At this moment I pulled a small gold ring suspended from a chain that was clasped around my neck and grasped it tightly.

All that was left behind was a small black box, inside was the ring. The doctors checked for a way of death, but since only ashes remained the only thing they could come up with was that he had been poisoned. I spent every wakening hour of my life from then on searching of his killer, and every sleeping hour being tormented by his death. Yet when I found the killer I was quite surprised. He was an old friend of mine. One of the few who run away when I told them I was a demon. He apparently spent years stalking me. Once I fell in love with my boy he spent a long time finding a way to kill him and end my happiness. Some people hated demons even before they had began to turn evil. I did kill him, but it didn't make anything feel any better.

I remember it was raining that night. The rain had usually helped ease my worrying and tended washed away any of my fears or doubts. It rained for days, and all I did was sit there, hoping that if I spent enough time in the rain, my sorrows would be washed down the river. Of cores, it didn't work. I have blamed the rain ever since.

Then I heard a far off sound. The sound sounded like hooves pounding against the wet road. As they got closer I could discern four horses; three of which were trotting, and a smaller one that was cantering to keep up. I just sat there and hoped they would pass me up and continue on their way. Of cores they didn't. Each horse slowed and then stopped once they reached me. We stood there in the rain as seconds ticked by. Twenty…twenty-one…twenty-two…

"Look, I don't really care what you think, I only came along because they dragged be along." Sanzo said.

"Oh Sanzo." Hakki said.

I looked at him through the rain. His facile expressing didn't change from his usual brooding expression as I looked at him. Perhaps the rain had washed away the tears or he had too cold a heart to care if I was in a poor mood.

"Boy, how kind of you to join us." I spat.

I was still very angry at Sanzo. He had no right to be so stuck up. He was one of those men who either need to get laid, or get a cat. We continued to stand in the rain and get wet for another long moment.

"Common you guys let's go!" Goku was becoming impatient.

He attempted to get his horse to move, but with no effect. The pony wouldn't leave until the rest had started to come along. I rolled my eyes at the stubborn beast and started off first. The path we were walking on was large enough for all of us to walk side by side on. As we wlaked Gojyo tried to lighten the mood with a little small talk.

"So Hakki, you have your power limiter on you ears, and Goku's is on his head, am I right?"

"Um, yes, your right."

"And since the two of you are demons you need to wear them to keep common sense, right?"

"Where are you going with this Gojyo?"

"Why doesn't Akimoto have a power limiter?"

"Are you asking me or Hakki."

I was still too pissed to care if I were being offensive. Gojyo went silent, waiting for an answer. I sighed and pulled the golden ring out from under my shirt.

"That's…really small." Gojyo said, a little surprised.

"As compared to Goku's I suppose, but it still works the same and doesn't get in the way nor is it too heavy and bothersome."

"That makes sense."

I offered no further information as we walked along, so Gojyo was stuck with talking with Hakki and Goku. Sanzo also seemed unwilling to speak. Once we reached the hotel, the rest of the night seemed to be strained and uncomfortable. When we went to bed I was still upset at Sanzo and he was still annoyed at me.

Chapter Three:

The next mourning the sun rose over a small peaceful town. The first rays of sunlight glittered in the river flowing east across the town. Water turbines rolled into motion as workers started their mourning chores. Shops began to open and neighbors waived to each other through open windows. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted down the streets. In the barns, soft whickering of the unfed horses raced through the barn every time a load of fresh hay was wheeled in through the door. Loud munching came through stall doors of the horses that had already been fed. Five rental stalls that had been occupied just the night before had already been cleaned out and vacated.

Riding through the forest was our band of adventures. Before the sun had risen the five had decided to leave. The four boys needed to learn how to ride. I had decided to give them a crash course. Crash courses were near impossible when it came horses, but they can learn on the way, too. The forest and near by fields were perfect for jumping and running lessons.

I decided to start with jumping.

"Alright, you four need to learn how to ride. If we're going to make it on time for the show down with Gyumaoh then we need to move a little faster. We'll start with jumping."

"Ok?" Gojyo sounded hesitant.

"Don't worry. Falling off is a lot less painful than getting hurt in a battle."

I said this on purpose because I knew that none of them had ever been seriously harmed in any battle. Except Sanzo, he had nearly been killed at least three times.

"How do we start?" asked Goku, completely unconcerned.

"The first thing you want to remember is that the horse is doing the jumping not you. Don't try to fly out of your seat when your horse goes over a log. Second, you want to stay crouched over the horn with your hand extended over his neck. Like this."

I leaned over the saddle horn and reached my left hand up over his neck as if I were reaching for his ears. My horse picked up his ears, anticipating today's events.

"Here, I'll demonstrate."

I moved away from the log that I had been standing by and pulled my horse to a stop. Then I started at a fast trot. Flowing through the motions expertly I jumped over the log. Somehow I had found a place that had a set of logs all in a circle. I completed a set of five jumps and trotted back to the group. Goku was rearing to start, almost literally. As he practiced the que to jump that I had just taught them and his pony reared up slightly. I let him go first. That pony needed some exercise.

He and his pony flew over every jump with ease. The rider was a little sloppy, but the pony didn't seem to care. They went around twice before they got board and moved on. As they trotted back to the group I could see each of them smile. Horses can't smile, but figuratively.

"Very good. She sure seemed to be enjoying herself."

"She?"

"Yes, your horse is a girl. So is Gojyo's"

"How can you tell?"

"I have my ways."

"Common, tell me."

"Gojyo, it's your turn." I said, ignoring Goku.

"Don't think for a minute that the monkey can do better than me." he stated.

"I'd like to see you try." retorted Goku.

"If this is a competition, than I wish you luck." I said.

"What, no confidence."

Gojyo looked at me teasingly. Then he went up to the jump and started, chin held high. He walked his horse up to the first log and he stepped over. Goku laughed and Gojyo began to kick his horse frustratedly. Instinctively his horse started cantering. When Gojyo crouched over the horn his horse flew over the jump. A blue jay spread its wings and jumped into flight, startled by the sudden appearance of the horse and his rider. Gojyo's horse bolted into the trees. I ran after him. This was a horse that could jump and race. We crashed around in the trees, going over logs and careening around stumps. Each moment I got a little closer to the panicking horse. We passed a tight turn around some rocks and his cinch snapped clean off.

"Gojyo," I yelled. "Grab the mane!"

"Won't I hurt him?"

"No just grab the mane!"

He seemed hesitant, but once the saddle slipped out from under him, he did as I instructed. Miraculously Gojyo stayed on the horses back. After ten minutes more of running around his horse powered down and I was able to grab the reins. My horse stopped quickly and forced Gojyo's horse to spin around so fast he almost landed on his side. Still, Gojyo was on, looking a little shaken, but none the worse for wear.

"Good job." I panted, "You stayed on. That's better than I did first time my horse took off."

He just sat there, shaking, eyes wide.

"Let's head back to the others."

Dismounting I led the horses back through the labyrinth of trees to where the others were standing. They were having a conversation, each looking around worriedly about for signs of us.

"Gojyo!" Hakki exclaimed.

He trotted over to Gojyo and grabbed his hand. At this point I averted my eyes. I handed the reins to Hakki and walked over to a stump. Remounting I caught Sanzo watching me.

"The horse spooked. They do that at their own shadow, sometimes." was all the enlightenment I could offer.

"Is this really wise."

"Better here and now then later in an unfamiliar place."

"mmmm."

We took a breather for a couple of minutes. Once the shock was over I decided Hakki should go next. Hakki's horse could not be convinced to actually jump over any of the logs. Fortunately this gave Hakki the chance to practice the movements. I told Hakki to go around a few more times while I tried to get Gojyo back on his horse. We tied his horse to a tree so that he couldn't move. After Hakki had gone around the cores almost seven more times I was finally confidant enough to let Gojyo just sit there his horse who was tied to a tree. I was most concerned for Sanzo at this point. He was riding the second youngest horse in our group. The horse was well trained, but there was a certain lack of experience that could very well cause problems.

"Do you need me to show you how to jump again?"

"I should be fine. It's just like you said. The horse is jumping, not me."

"Alright then let's get started."

He trotted his horse confidentially up to the jump. Over, over, over. Each time he successfully went over the jump. He was nearing the last jump in the set and his horse shyed away from the log. The movement was so sudden that he crashed into the log as his horse went around.

"Sanzo!" Goku shouted.

Goku cascaded off his horse and ran over to Sanzo's limp body.

"I'm alright." He groned

His horse continued to thunder around the perimeter of the jumps. I stood my horse in front of Sanzo so that he wouldn't be run over. Standing up slowly, Sanzo tested his strength. He used the jump as a support before trusting his legs. Sure enough his right leg gave way under his weight and he grabbed at Goku's shoulder for support. This day seemed to be getting worse and worse.

As the runaway horse circled again I grabbed at the reins. I caught the animal and tied him next to Gojyo. At least Gojyo was more relaxed on his horse.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Sanzo got dumped, literally." As if on que Sanzo limped over to the group, supporting himself with Goku's shoulder. Sitting himself down on a dry patch of dirt he said:

"Could this day get any worse?"

"I think we've run out on getting worse and are on to the end of the world part."

Gojyo caught the joke and gave a snicker. Hakki smiled.

"Sanzo, what's wrong, why can't you walk." Goku asked, oblivious to any humor that may or may not be funny at all.

Sanzo looked at me for answers.

"Is your leg broken?"

"I'm not sure. How could I tell?"

"If you can't fell anything in your leg, like if it's all numb, then it's broken. If you can feel pain then you're just bruised."

"Sanzo, which is it." Goku was getting frantic.

"Not sure," Goku punched him on his right leg. "Ow! What did you do that for you stupid monkey!"

"Well that's a relief."

Everyone laughed and Sanzo looked embarrassed. Somehow his horse had managed to untie himself and now walked over and shoved his nose in Sanzo's face.

"Look Sanzo, your horse is sorry."

Everyone laughed harder than before and Sanzo rubbed the muzzle of his beast awkwardly.

At this point we took a lunch break. Goku finished early, he road his pony to a nearby stream. First they just jumped over it, and then they found a wider and deeper part and went swimming. The rest of us sat there and watched. Gojyo pulled out a deck of cards and we stared up a game.

Time passed leisurely on. Somehow we had found peace in this moment. Birds danced, the sun shone, and all worries and doubts just faded away. After lunch we progressed to the fields. They got the hang of running pretty fast. Soon enough we were playing four corners and capture the flag and tag and any other running game we could think of. We played around until dark. By then everyone was panting and laughing. We pitched tents and started a campfire.

Once I had thought the boys had fallen asleep I pulled out my guitar. I had been able to fool them so far that in the case all I was carrying were extra provisions. Their reaction would be unpredictable if I had told them that could play. I'm not sure why I couldn't tell them about my playing, but it didn't feel right. Something about them told me that they wouldn't appreciate the music. Starting up the guitar I began to pluck out the first few notes to one of my favorite songs. The music flowed on and I picked up the vocal track. Once the song had ended I looked up, now conscientious of a pair violet of eyes staring at me. Sanzo was watching me from the entrance to his tent.

"That was good."

"I used to be the songstress for my temple."

"We had a songstress. She had a dull voice."

"Master Sanzo always said I had a good voice."

"What was he like?"

"Kind, he saved me from an abusive uncle when I was just a babe."

"Like my master."

"It was different. The only reason that my master kept me was because of my eyes."

"Your eyes?"

"Yes. He says that the first demon Sanzo had the same color eyes as me."

"So you were no more then good publicity for the temple."

"Sort of. I got all the same training as the other sanzos in history. I still felt used once in a while."

"Play me another song." Sanzo said, getting tired of the topic of conversation.

He limped over and sat down next to me. I thought for a moment strumming randomly. Them I picked up another song. We spent almost all night talking and playing songs. Eventually we leaned back and watched the stars. Each small dot of light twinkled above in the black sky. A cool breeze swept across the grass and blew over us. The night air smelled of fresh wild flowers and the moon light highlighted his face just right. Without realizing it we shared one of the most intimate, but non sexual moments that lovers can share. We lay still and silent, watching time pass, enjoying a minute in time.


	3. Lessons

The next morning the sun rose over a small peaceful town. The first rays of sunlight glittered in the river flowing east across the town. Water turbines rolled into motion as workers started their morning chores. Shops began to open and neighbors waived to each other through open windows. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted down the streets. In the barns, soft whickering of the unfed horses raced through the barn every time a load of fresh hay was wheeled in through the door. Loud munching came through stall doors of the horses that had already been fed. Five rental stalls that had been occupied just the night before had already been cleaned out and vacated.

Riding through the forest was our band of adventures. Before the sun had risen the five had decided to leave. The four boys needed to learn how to ride. I had decided to give them a crash course. Crash courses were near impossible when it comes to horses, but they can learn on the way too. The forest and near by fields were perfect for jumping and running lessons.

"Alright, if we're going to make it on time for the show down with Gyumaoh then we need to move a little faster. If we move faster then someone will fall off and then we will all be walking. I'll teach you some of the more important things you need to know about riding horses today. We'll start with jumping."

"Ok?" Gojyo sounded hesitant.

"Don't worry. Falling off is a lot less painful than getting hurt in a battle."

I said this on purpose because I knew that none of them had ever been seriously harmed in any battle. Except Sanzo, he had nearly been killed at least six times, or so I'm told.

"How do we start?" asked Goku, completely unconcerned.

"The first thing you want to remember is that the horse is doing the jumping not you. Don't try to fly out of your seat when your horse goes over a log. Second, you want to stay crouched over the horn with your hand extended over his neck. Like this."

I leaned over the saddle horn and reached my left hand up over his neck as if I were reaching for his ears. My horse picked up his ears, anticipating today's events.

"Here, I'll demonstrate."

I moved away from the log that I had been standing by and pulled my horse to a stop. Then I started at a fast trot. Flowing through the motions expertly I jumped over the log. Somehow I had found a place that had a set of logs all in a circle. I completed a set of five jumps and trotted back to the group. I felt like a show off, but it was worth seeing their astonished faces. Sanzo had noticed my vanity and was scowling at me. Poor kid, stuck with four demons that are mostly quite immature. Goku was rearing to start, almost literally. He was practicing the movements for jumping. Every time he leaned forward his horse lifted his two front feet just inches off the cround. I let him go first. That fat little pony needed some exercise.

He and his pony flew over every jump with ease. Goku was a little sloppy, but the pony didn't seem to care. They went around twice before the pony was too tiered to go again and just stopped. As they walked back to the group I could see each of their smiles. Horses can't smile, but figuratively.

"Very good. She sure seemed to be enjoying herself." I commented.

"She?" asked Goku.

"Yes, your horse is a girl. So is Gojyo's"

"How can you tell?"

"I have my ways."

"Common, tell me."

"Gojyo, it's your turn." I said, ignoring Goku.

"Don't think for a minute that the monkey can do better than me." he stated.

"I'd like to see you try." retorted Goku.

"If this is a competition, than I wish you luck." I said.

"What, no confidence."

Gojyo looked at me teasingly, but I could still see he was nervous. Then he went up to the jump and started, chin held high. He walked his horse up to the first log and she stepped over. Goku laughed and Gojyo began to kick his horse, red in the face and overly embarsed . Instinctively his horse started cantering. When Gojyo crouched over the horn his horse flew over the jump, a little close to a near by tree, but they survived. A moment later a blue jay spread its wings and jumped into flight from a near by bush, startled by the sudden appearance of the horse and his rider and making quite a statement about it too.

Gojyo's horse bolted into the trees wild with panic. I ran after him. This was a horse that could jump and race I thought to my self. We crashed around in the trees, going over logs and careening around stumps. Each moment I got a little closer to the panicking horse she would run the opposite way around some tree or log shoving her but into the chest of my horse. The panic of a moment ago had turned into a battle of wits between a rider and a run away mare. Suddenly we passed a tight turn around some rocks. The jagged end of one of the sides of the rock was jutting out at just the right angle and his cinch snapped clean off.

"Gojyo!" I yelled. "Grab the mane!"

"Won't I hurt it?"

"No just grab the mane!"

He seemed hesitant, but once the saddle stared to slip out from under him, he did as I instructed. Miraculously Gojyo stayed on the horses back. After ten more frustrating minutes his horse gave into the attrition and I was able to grab the reins. My horse stopped quickly and forced Gojyo's horse to spin around so fast he almost landed on his side. Once the cloud of dust that had sprung up had settled I saw Gojyo was still on. He was looking a little shaken, but none the worse for wear.

"Good job." I panted, "You stayed on."

He just sat there, shaking, panting, eyes wide.

"Come on."

Dismounting I led the horses back through the labyrinth of trees to where the others were standing. They were having a conversation in low tones, each looking worriedly about for signs of us.

"Gojyo!" Hakki exclaimed.

He trotted over to Gojyo and grabbed his hand. At this point I averted my eyes. I handed the reins to Hakki and walked over to a stump. Remounting I caught Sanzo watching me. He didn't say anything, but I could see he wanted to know what happened.

"The horse spooked. They do that, sometimes." was all the enlightenment I could offer.

"Is this really wise."

"Better here and now then later in an unfamiliar place."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant, but do you have any other suggestions." I snapped.

We took a breather for a couple of minutes. Goku tried to joke around. Once he figured out that no one was going to say anything he just sat there in a rather awkward silence. Gojyo was talked into staying on his horses back by Hakki. This took some major convincing since Gojyo was still tense and his horse was still wired. Ever time she flicked her ear or twitched at a fly Gojyo would jump and grab at her mane. Hakki sat net to him keeping the horse calm and talking quietly to Gojyo. After some time Sanzo and I started bickering weather or not walking would be safer.

Soon enough the group was much more relaxed. While Sanzo and I kept up our debate as Gojyo filled in Hakki and Goku on all the excitement that had happened. I eventually gave up on Sanzo and persisted to ignore him. Soon after that I decided that Hakki should go next. Hakki's horse could not be convinced to actually jump over any of the logs. Fortunately this gave Hakki the chance to practice the movements that the others had been so sloppy at. I told Hakki to go around a few more times while I tried to get Gojyo calmer on the back of his horse. We tied his horse to a tree so that he couldn't run off. After Hakki had gone around the cores almost seven more times I was finally confidant enough to let Gojyo just sit there his horse tied to the tree alone. He hadn't jumped for five minutes straight, which was an improvement. Now I turned my attention to blondie. I was quite concerned for Sanzo. He was riding the second youngest horse in our group. The horse was well trained, but there was a certain lack of experience that could very well cause problems.

"Do you need me to show you how to jump again?"

"I should be fine." He said.

I could still hear how pissed he was at me so I returned his anger with a challenge.

"Alright then, let's see how good Blondie is."

He trotted his horse confidentially up to the jump. His expression told me that he was trying to prove a point, or maybe be as big a show off as I was. I sighed. Maybe he was as immature as the rest of us. I began to count the jumps he made. One, two, three. Each jump was a small achievement in itself. He was nearing the last jump in the set and his horse shied away from the log. The movement was so sudden that he crashed into the log as his horse went around. The rotting wood caved in around him and he sank into the wood until the only part of him visible was a wooden sandle.

"Sanzo!" Goku shouted.

Goku shot off his horse and ran over to Sanzo's limp body, or rather, foot.

"I'm alright." He groaned.

His horse continued to thunder around the perimeter of the jumps, rearing and bucking at whatever he was seeing. I stood my horse in front of Sanzo so that he wouldn't be run over. Standing up slowly, Sanzo tested his strength. He used the less rotten and more stable part of the jump as a support before trusting his legs. Sure enough his right leg gave way under his weight and he grabbed at Goku's shoulder for support. This day seemed to be getting worse and worse. Perhaps Sanzo wasn't too far off when he said walking would be safer then horse riding was.

As the runaway horse circled again I grabbed at the reins. I caught the animal and tied him next to Gojyo and Hakki. When I approached them with a rider less horse they both looked up in alarm.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Sanzo got dumped, literally." As if on he had been summoned, Sanzo limped over to the group, supporting himself with Goku's shoulder. Sitting himself down on a dry patch of dirt he said:

"Could this day get any worse?"

"I think we've run out on getting worse and are on to the end of the world part."

Gojyo caught the joke and gave a snicker. Hakki smiled.

"Sanzo, what's wrong, why can't you walk." Goku asked, oblivious to any humor that may or may not be funny at all.

Sanzo looked at me for answers.

"Is your leg broken?"

"I'm not sure. How could I tell?"

"If you can't fell anything in your leg, like if it's all numb, then it's broken. If you can feel pain then you're just bruised."

"Sanzo, which is it." Goku was getting frantic.

"Not sure," Goku punched him on his right leg. "Ow! What did you do that for you stupid monkey!"

"Well that's a relief."

Everyone laughed and Sanzo looked embarrassed. In the midst of all the alarm his horse had managed to untie himself and now walked over to shoved his nose in Sanzo's face.

"Look Sanzo, your horse is sorry."

Everyone laughed harder than before and Sanzo rubbed the muzzle of his beast awkwardly.

At this point we took a well disserved lunch break. Goku finished early, which is surprising for the monkey, and entertained himself while the rest of us ate out lunch slowly. He rode his pony to a nearby stream to give her a water break. However, the moment that she stepped foot on the bank of the stream she launched herself over to the other side. They continued to jump over the stream for a while. Then they found a wider and deeper part of the river and went swimming. The rest of us sat there and watched as Goku splashed around in the river, slowly getting wet from head to toe. Gojyo pulled out a deck of cards for the rest of us to enjoy and we stared up a game.

Time passed leisurely on. Somehow we had found peace in this moment. Birds danced and sang, the sun shone, and all worries and doubts just faded away into the warm atmosphere. After lunch we progressed to the fields. They got the hang of running pretty fast. Soon enough we were playing four corners and capture the flag and tag and any other running game we could think of. We played around until dark, and a little bit after for hide and seek. Only a little while after, everyone was panting and laughing, we decided to turn in for the night. We pitched tents and started a campfire.

We spent an hour talking around the camp fire. Hakki, as it turns out, has the greatest ghost stories that none of the rest of us knew. Slowly each of the boys drifted off to sleep. Soon enough I heard the deep breathing and gentle snoring from the four men. I stood up and separated myself from the group. When I felt that I was not going to be overheard I began to sing. A long time ago I had been the songstress at my temple. Each time a traveler came to our shelter I insisted on them teaching me some of the songs they had heard on their travels. In turn I memorized every song that they taught me. Tonight I was singing a song that a man from the far north had taught me. Each verse depicted trial and suffering for a tribe of people just starting out in a new village.

The final verse descried a goddess that came to the men's rescue. Each man had a different reaction, one danced and sang, another cried, and the last sat silently. On the same note as the first line of the song I carried out the last note and let it die as my breath slowly ran out. Now that I had finished the song I glanced around. I quickly became aware of a pair violet of eyes staring at me. Sanzo was staring at me with no expression.

"That was good." He said

"I used to be the songstress for my temple."

"We had a songstress, her voice was rather dull."

"Master Sanzo always said I had a good voice."

"What was he like?"

"Kind, he saved me from an abusive uncle when I was just a babe."

"Like my master."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

"The only reason I was allowed to stay at the temple was because of the color of my eyes."

"Really."

"Yeah, something about how they were the same as one of the great demon sanzo's in history."

"So you were no more then good publicity for the temple."

"Sort of, I guess. I got all the same training as the other apprentices yet I still felt used once in a while."

"Sing another song."

Sanzo had changed the topic quite abruptly. I wonder if he has some hard feelings towards his master.

He limped over and sat down in the grass next to me. I thought for a moment, humming different tunes. When I had found the notes to a song that I liked I picked up the words. We spent almost all night talking and singing songs. Eventually we leaned back and watched the stars. Each small dot of light twinkled above in the black sky. A cool breeze swept across the grass and blew over us. The night air smelled of fresh wild flowers and the moon light highlighted his face just right. Crickets chirped lazily in the grass and fireflies flew around in interact circles. Just as before our talking died into whispers and our eyes became heavy. Once we had not an ounce of energy left we lay still and silent. Still not tired enough to sleep we watching time pass, enjoying a minute in time.


End file.
